The Weeknd and Belly Cancel Jimmy Kimmel Performance in Protest of Donald Trump

Last night, The Weeknd and rapper Belly canceled a scheduled performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after learning that Donald Trump was set to appear as a guest on the show as well. The two artists were reportedly going to perform their song “Might Not,” but backed out at the last minute.

In a statement released to the Associated Press, Belly, who is a Palestinian-born Canadian, explained the reasons behind his abrupt cancellation. “I feel like the way I was raised was to be able to see through all the titles in this world—from religion to race,” he wrote. “I just didn’t want to feel like I was a part of a celebration for somebody who has beliefs that the majority of us don’t agree with.”

During one of his speeches back in December, Trump said if he was elected president he would enact a ban on all Muslim immigration into the country. “For me, being Muslim and being somebody that appreciates my access here in America, I love the fact that I’m able to be here,” Belly’s statement continued. “To play my part in this business is a privilege and a beautiful thing. The fact that I could lose that ability through the actions of someone such as Donald Trump isn’t right to me. At all.”

Early on in the presidential race, an appearance by Trump on a talk show typically guaranteed high ratings: Trump’s guest spot on The Tonight Show last September was one of the highest-rated episodes for Jimmy Fallon in more than a year, while Trump’s interview with Stephen Colbert gave the Late Show host one of his largest audiences since his debut. But the tide might finally be turning for Trump. His much-hyped sit-down with his former Fox News nemesis Megyn Kelly earlier this month did not deliver anywhere near as many views as anticipated. It was reported that Kelly and her producers were expecting at least 9 million viewers, but the special, which was widely criticized, delivered only 4.8 million.

Now it’s left to see whether Belly and The Weeknd’s recent stance against Trump might cause other late-night talk shows to think twice before booking the presidential candidate again. Their canceled performance recalls the recent backlash against the anti-LGBT laws passed in North Carolina, which led to a number of musicians boycotting the state by not performing there until the bill is repealed.

The literary world, for one, seems to be uniting strongly against the presumptive Republican candidate. On Wednesday, 400 writers, including Junot Díaz, Dave Eggers, Cheryl Strayed, and Stephen King, published “An Open Letter to the American People” on Lit Hub denouncing Trump’s candidacy. Their brief statement listed a number of reasons why they were choosing to publicly condemn him. “Because, as writers, we are particularly aware of the many ways that language can be abused in the name of power,” the statement read. “Because the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response.” The letter continued: “We, the undersigned, as a matter of conscience, oppose, unequivocally, the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Presidency of the United States.”